The present invention is a method of carrying a powered wheelchair on an automobile. Powered wheelchairs have greatly increased the mobility of handicapped persons, but they impose their own limits on this mobility. A handicapped person in a powered wheelchair is usually precluded from travelling by car because it has been, up to this point, difficult or impossible to carry the wheelchair in or on the car.
Prior art wheelchair carriers that are fixed to the rear bumper of the car require that the wheelchair be folded flat before being placed on the carrier. A powered folding wheelchair can be carried on one of these carriers, but the battery has to be removed first. If the user is mobile enough to remove the battery and fold up the chair, he probably does not need the wheelchair in the first place. If the user is able to drive a specially modified car but is not able to remove the battery and fold up the chair, then he must have a helper at each end of the trip to help him load and unload the wheelchair.
There is a large number of powered wheelchair users who are able to drive a car and who can walk a limited distance with a crutch or cane, but who find it difficult or impossible to complete a trip with their wheelchair. A specially equipped van with a wheelchair lift is a solution, but a very expensive one. The present invention allows these people to travel by car with their wheelchairs carried on the car, without requiring any assistance with the wheelchair. Likewise, it enables non-powered wheelchair users to avail themselves of the added benefits of powered wheelchairs by switching to powered chairs.